The spectacular totem poles of British Columbia and Alaska, on which appear birds, animals, and unrecognizable creatures, are found nowhere else in the world. To save specimens of this now-abandoned American Indian craft and make them accessible to Alaska visitors, the United States Forest Service in 1938 began placing Tlingit and Haida totem poles in natural settings near Ketchikan, Wrangel, and Sitka.

The Wolf and the Raven describes the poles, their place in the Indian culture of their day, the myths and legends they recount, and the history of the restoration program.